The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Scutellaria novae-zelandiae

Etymology

novae-zelandiae: of New Zealand

Common Name(s)

New Zealand skullcap, shovel mint

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Critical

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

Qualifiers

2012 - EF, RR
2009 - EF, RR

Authority

Scutellaria novae-zelandiae Hook.f.

Family

Lamiaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Scutellaria humilis Hook.f. non R.Br.

Distribution

Northern South Island, particularly in the west.

Habitat

Free draining, alluvial matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia (Sol. ex D.Don) de Laub.), black beech (Nothofagus solandri (Hook.f. Oerst.), and totara (Podocarpus totara (G.Benn.) ex D.Don var. totara) forest.

Features

Small, creeping ,perennial herb forming diffuse patches on forest floor. All parts puberulent to glabrate. Main stems woody at base, creeping, square in cross-section, dark purple-red, maroon to almost balck. Branches sparse to many, spreading, sub-erect to erect. Leaves in distant pairs. Petioles 2-20 mm long, slender, dark purple to purple-black. Lamina 3-13 x 2-16 mm, dark green above, pink to purple underneath, ovate, suborbicular to reniform, membranous, entire or 3-5-toothed or lobed, apex obtuse to rounded, base rounded to subcordate or cordate; lamina surface usually glabrate with hairs restricted to veins on leaf undersides, sometimes entirely glabrous; undersides finely dotted with small spherical glands. Flowers single in leaf axils, white. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, < petioles. Bracts subulate. Calyx 2.5-3.5 mm long, puberulent; scale enlarging until at least 1.5 mm long at anthesis. Corolla 6-11 mm long to apex of lower lip, hairy; tube 4-6 mm long, straight, broadening toward apex; lower lip > upper lip, middle lobe broad, rounded, upper lip deeply lobed and rounded. Nutlets 1-1.3 mm long, dark brown, surface granular.

Similar Taxa

A distinctive species. The white helmet-shaped flowers and small shovel-shaped seeds readily distinguish it from all other indigenous herbaceous plants. It could be confused with the naturalised S. minor Hudson, but that species has linear to lanceolate, entire mid to upper stem leaves (rather than broad-ovate, suborbicular to reniform, lobed to toothed leaves), and pink rather than white flowers.

Flowering

August to March (but sporadic flowering may occur throughout the year)

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

August to March (but sporadic fruiting may occur throughout the year)

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from cuttings, divisions of whole plants and seed. An excellent ground cover for semi-shaded free-draining to permanently damp, fertile soils.

Threats

Threatened mainly from weeds which overshadow plants, smother and outcompete them. Some populations have been browsed by goats and cattle.

Chromosome No.

2n = 60

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 19 Dec 2014